DOVER — The school board will now begin working to cut close to $200,000 from the district’s budget after the City Council approved a tax cap budget Wednesday night.

Superintendent of Schools Jean Briggs Badger said the School Board worked very hard to come up with a budget this year that was more than $20,000 less than last year and that had negative growth.

“We were obviously hoping (the city) would support our budget as submitted,” she said.

On Monday, when the School Board meets to discuss where cuts will need to be made, Briggs Badger said they will most likely end up cutting staff members at the high school level.

The school side of the budget, originally close to $250,000 over the budget, was brought down to $171,109 over the tax cap during the city council workshop session Wednesday night when the council voted to move half of the $151,282 city tax cap levy funds over to the school side after much debate. This left the other half to be dispersed between the police and fire departments and to update crosswalks on Chestnut Street.

With the city also voting to reduce school appropriations of $28,000, the school district’s budget was reduced by nearly $200,000 by the time the budget was approved.

Briggs Badger said because elementary and middle school class sizes are already maxed out, three to four teachers at Dover High will most likely be cut from their budget.

“We were hoping we would not have to face any more reduction,” she said, adding where cuts are made are ultimately the school board’s decision.

City Councilor Dorothea Hooper, who is an advocate for the school district, ended up voting for the tax cap budget in the end on Wednesday night, leaving just City Councilor William Garrison opposing the $115,071,931 fiscal year 2014 municipal budget.

“Up until the end, I wanted to support the schools,” Hooper said, “But I saw where the vote was going and I just thought, ‘This is ridiculous. A compromise has to be made.’”

She commended Garrison for “sticking to his ideals,” adding she just could not fathom sitting through more arguments and ended up “giving up the fight.”

“I think this is a very bad move,” she said of reducing the school’s budget. “The kids, the teachers and the board will find out next year that they are in a worse hole.”

Deputy Mayor Robert Carrier agreed with Hooper.

“The schools lost,” he said.

Garrison said he recognizes the hard work the school board put in to create their budget and said it is unfortunate that they will have to make such “tremendous” cuts.

“This is a negative impact on our community when we can’t even properly fund our children’s education,” he said. “I think this is just a slap in their face from the city council to again, cut them even more.”

City Councilor Michael Weeden said the school board did a great job presenting their budget, but said they are worrying about just the schools, while the city has to worry about every function of the city.

“It is a puzzle,” he said of the fire department, police department, school department, streets, sewer and recreation department. “We have to put all the pieces together.”

Weeden, along with many councilors and Mayor Dean Trefethen did note that they are hopeful there will be future revenues that may be appropriated for the schools.

Overall, Weeden thought the budget process went smoother than last year and was happy to see councilors working together.

Carrier also felt that the council was on the same page, working together and “trying desperately to pass a budget.”

“I believe the approval process of the budget went well,” Trefethen said. “I think there was much more willingness to compromise, which is important and was demonstrated (Wednesday) night.”

Before departing council chambers, City Councilor Michael Crago said he shook the hand of each councilor, thanking them for their service.

“And I thanked them for the cooperative synergy that resulted in our delivering of a tax cap budget for the people,” he said. “I thought that it was a dynamically positive process.”

Garrison did feel differently, though.

“Overall, the decision making of the Council is setting the wrong message and is going in the wrong direction,” he said. “We need to look toward the future, which goes far beyond decisions made today. It’s not about us. It is not just about the city today. We need to preserve the quality of life and the quality of education for future generations and I think we came up short on that.”